The Pupil
by KenshinOro730
Summary: Lao Shi is living his everyday life in China, when the dragon council tells him he must train the new American Dragon, his grandson. But Lao hasn't seen his daughter's family in nine years...will everything be okay between them? A LOT better than summary.


A/N: Okay ya'll, this is a short little story about Lao Shi (grandpa) and his life before Jake, and how he moves to NYC and stuff. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own American Dragon: Jake Long

Chapter 1: The Legacy Continues…

_Italics_ are translations!

"Ni hao, Lao Shi!" _Hello, Lao Shi! _An old woman exclaimed happily. She was seventy-two, yet she was as healthy as a forty year-old. Her tall and willowy frame was clothed in a bright pink cheongsam that went down to her ankles, with a busy yet elegant pattern covering the traditional dress. Her black hair was still long, wavy, and thick, though it was liberally streaked with gray, and her dark green eyes were as sharp as ever. She bent down to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. He was short, with white hair and moustache, keen jet black eyes, and he wore an indigo robe.

"N**i qīn** **jié** **kuài you **nìng kěn cāo liàn your yīng yu, Lin." _I wish you would practice your English, Lin. _Lao Shi said. Lin smiled.

"Fine, I will speak English. I do not see why you persist I learn so quickly." Lin complained. Lao walked through the doorway of the small, old-fashioned house, and made his way to the kitchen.

"Well, our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren all speak English as their primary language. Either way, half the world speaks English, so we should at least keep up our linguistic skills." Lao Shi explained. Lin followed him into the kitchen.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The Dragon Council addressed you a letter. It is on the table." Lin commented with a heavy Chinese accent, walking over to the countertop. "We will have white rice and chicken for supper tonight." She remarked as she started to boil some water.

Lao Shi opened the letter from the Dragon Council, which read:

**Lao Shi, as the former Chinese Dragon, we believe you to be an eligible candidate for our newest dragon, the American Dragon. New York City has been a large port for magical creatures for quite a while now, but we have just decided to make an official American Dragon. At the moment, we are searching for someone of dragon powers in America, but we do have an eligible candidate. We will be in contact when we have come to a conclusion.**

**The Dragon Council**

Lao Shi folded the letter with excitement. He was ready for a new challenge, as it had been several years since he had been assigned a student. He taught a once-weekly martial arts class, but aside from that; he had nothing to do with his time. He turned to Lin, who was now preparing the chicken.

"You will never believe the news I have just received," Lao gushed. "The Council is assigning me a new student! They are choosing him right this moment, and they will be in touch with me as soon as they choose who the American Dragon will be." Lin looked at Lao inquisitively.

"American Dragon? I knew not they had a dragon protector." Lin said decisively.

"They didn't. I will be teaching the _first _American Dragon. It is a great honor." Lao said joyfully. Lin smiled at her husband, knowing he deserved this reward, after all the years he spent working hard for the Council. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Lao got up hurriedly, whispering 'it's them', before opening the door. There stood three of the highest authority Dragon Councilors.

"Welcome, please, come in." Lao Shi stated in a solemn tone, though he was barely restraining his excitement over finding out the identity of his new pupil. The three walked in determinedly. Councilor Andam stepped forward.

"Lao Shi, we do not have much time, so we will get straight to the point. We have decided to grant you something almost unheard of. We searched America up and down, and we found several young, abled dragons to-be. But, the one who radiated the most power has put the Council in an awkward situation. You are a great teacher, Lao, so we will trust you with this task. I believe your daughter, Mei, lacked dragon powers?" When Lao nodded sadly, Andam continued, "Well, you need not fret any longer. The dragon with the most foreseen power, the best legacy, is your grandson, Jake Long, who will be coming of age in several days." Lao's jaw dropped momentarily. Normally, once dragon powers skipped one generation, they were lost forever. His thoughts were interrupted by Councilor Kulde.

"You need to leave for America tomorrow, so you will be able to tell Jake of his powers when he turns thirteen. Please, understand that this is a huge test for both you and the boy, and you both _must _pass. Good luck." And with that, they teleported out of the house. Lao walked back into the kitchen, his mind swirling.

"What did they say?" Lin asked, seeing her husband's happy but surprised look. He looked up at her, and grinned.

"My new pupil, the first American Dragon, is our grandson, Jake!" Lao beamed with pride. "I knew such a strong legacy would not die out!" Lin smiled humorously at his excitement, and handed him a plate.

"Eat now; celebrate later." Lin demanded in a falsely stern voice. "So, when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I will take Fu with me; I'm sure he would enjoy it." He said certainly.

"I am sure he will be happy to have a new place to gamble." Lin laughed, and Lao joined in.

After a few moments, Lin noticed a slightly nervous look on her spouse's face.

"What is troubling you?" Lin asked quietly. Lao looked up from the rice he had been fiddling with, and his eyes were a bit anxious. "If you are wondering about the American currency, it is 10 yuan for every American dollar."

"I am proud that you remembered the currency, but that is not what is troubling me. I'm sure I am being silly, but I have just realized it. It has been _nine years _since I have seen our daughter's family. I haven't seen Jake since he was four, and I have seen nothing but photos of Haley, and I haven't even received pictures of them in years and years… I do not even know what my own grandchildren _look _like! I mean, that photo of Jake and Haley there is the newest photo of them we own, and that is when Haley was two, and Jake was eight." Lao pointed to a framed picture of an eight-year-old boy with extremely short black hair, black eyes, and wearing a blue tee shirt and denim pants, sitting with his two year-old baby sister, who had short black hair and eyes, wearing a frilly pink outfit. Lin frowned. She knew what he was saying was true. Her daughter and they rarely conversed, and it was a bit upsetting.

"I just hope I will be able to…fit in with them still. Still be a part of their family." Lao finished, upset. Lin walked over and sat down across from her husband, and took his hand.

"I am sure you will be welcomed with open arms," she said with an encouraging smile.

"I hope you are right." Lao said, smiling back.

**A/N: Ok, so there is the first chappy! Hope you loved it! I'll see about getting another chapter in tonight. REVIEW! Oh, I just reposted it, since I noticed some grammatical errors! Gosh darn it, those annoy me, and I just _can't _leave them. PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, _REVIEW!_**


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